Say Cheese!

China’s chengguan, or urban management officers, non-police who are charged with such urban tasks as clearing away unlicensed street vendors or carrying out forced demolitions, have a horrible reputation in the country. Their name is synonymous with violence. But recently, the southern city of Guangzhou issued new regulations for its chengguan designed to spruce up their public image. Chengguan are now being told, for example, that they must begin interactions with the public by saying “Hello!”. In the following cartoon, posted by artist DSX (大尸凶的漫画) to Sina Weibo, three chengguan officers pose with an elderly street peddler who is forced to kneel on the street (presumably before they confiscate her goods). “Say ‘Cheese’!” they tell her tauntingly. The not so subtle sub-message: training chengguan in politeness is pointless and beside the point when they are tasked with the oppressive dirty work police want to keep at arm’s length.

About The Author

David is co-director of the China Media Project, and editor of the project’s website. He is the author of Dragons in Diamond Village (Penguin), a book of reportage about urbanisation and social activism in China, and co-editor of Investigative Journalism in China (HKU Press). His writings have appeared in the New York Times, the Far Eastern Economic Review, the Wall Street Journal, Index on Censorship, the South China Morning Post and others. He received a Human Rights Press Award in 2007 for an explanatory feature about China’s Internet censorship guidelines. David is a producer of Chinese independent films through his Hong Kong production company, Lantern Films. He has a Master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Mr. Bandurski is an honorary lecturer at the Journalism & Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong.

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The China Media Project is an independent research, fellowship and exchange program in partnership with the Journalism & Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong. The CMP fosters dialogue on key issues in Chinese media and communications, and monitors breaking developments in the field.